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Belmond Hibernian - Luxury Touring Train

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Had heard about it over the bush telegraph, but kept schtumm, not out of any sense of smugness but just in case it was some sort of cruel hoax!

 

Indeed, and I would have been reluctant to post this, if it hadn't come through Irish Rail itself.

 

I'm sure that Belmond know what they're doing, far better than I do, but it does seem very ambitious on such a small network.

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The GS&WR operated 'sleeping cars' on the Cork-Dublin Night Mail trains for a short period during late 1879 / early 1880. Accommodation on a 'sofa berth' was available at a supplementary fee of 2/6d (16 cent). Between 1908 and around the end of World War 1, the GNR(I) provided couchette accommodation on the Night Mails between Dublin and Belfast/Derry and on the Derry-Dublin service. In this case the cost was 5/- (31 cent) irrespective of the distance travelled.

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Very good Richie!

 

Nice one Joe. With the amount of Mark III sleepers kicking around the UK doing nothing its a small wonder why they dont slap them on Irish bogies and use them. The Mark III Caledonian sleeper stock is also due to be made redundant soon...

 

Maybe they want to refit them themselves, anyway, to their own standards - possibly larger 'staterooms' - rather than conventional sleeper cabins..?

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Best of luck to them it will be great to see a private operator on Irish rails something different to look at. Is this the start of the gates opening for the private sector on Irish railways with rumours circulating that a new liner service will be operating out of Belfast port in the future.

 

Where did you hear that Anto? Would it be operating to Dublin?

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I have posed the question - purely out of curiosity - regarding overnights.

 

Currently, many stations are locked and unmanned overnight. Passengers are forbidden to be on board trains stationed on non-passenger tracks, e.g. sidings in yards. Even if they were, they would not be allowed off the train due to their lack of PTS, day glo clothes and steel capped footwear.

 

So - how will it work for passengers wanting to get off and on the train during the evening or night, for example to go to a local bar?

 

H & S rules would also presumably prohibit them from being cocooned on board all night, with exit barred..... fire escape would not be possible without getting onto the track.

 

If, on the other hand, they remain stationed at platforms, how will that affect platform occupancy by other service trains?

 

Just asking.....

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Ya the yards and sidings would be off limits to passengers so I guess it would have to be on a platform and platform availability varies a lot depending on where you want to stay and what time you want to leave in the morning. As for stations staying open I would guess that they would have to pay IE to have the relevant station manned all night?? or maybe they are planning a late departure from one location and slow move to another??

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Possibly, Snapper. One might surmise that the preferred overnight places would be Westport, Galway, Limerick or Ennis, Killarney, Waterford, Cork, somewhere in or about Belfast, as well as (obviously) somewhere in Dublin.

 

I don't think the Dardanelles would cut it!

 

The serious question remains - which of these locations would be able to accommodate an overnight train with water supply, passenger access and so on; without contravening our excessive H & S regulations or compromising security?

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Could this traffic be enough to warrant the reopening of the Waterford - Wexford line? It would open up a scenic corner of the country without having to travel back up the East coast line to Dublin, or having to bus the passengers between Wexford and Waterford....... :confused:

 

IR would choke on their stored 201s first. IN fact Im quite surprised they facilitated the sale of the Mk3, Ill believe this train when I see it.

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Could this traffic be enough to warrant the reopening of the Waterford - Wexford line? It would open up a scenic corner of the country without having to travel back up the East coast line to Dublin, or having to bus the passengers between Wexford and Waterford....... :confused:

 

I doubt they'd maintain the line for just one train…… there reason it's shut is they don't want to run anything else on it, if you se my point.

:SORRY:Shattered dream, I know

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